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The United States may be planning to go the ‘India way’ on the popular short video app TikTok. According to reports, the US plans to ban Chinese short video-making app TikTok nationwide. The House Foreign Affairs Committee reportedly plans to hold a vote next month on a bill aimed at blocking the use of China’s popular social media app TikTok in the United States, the committee confirmed. The measure, planned by the panel’s chair Representative Michael McCaul, would aim to give the White House the legal tools to ban TikTok over US national security concerns. ByteDance is the Chinese owner of the TikTok app. The app has been facing criticism as it it is widely believed that it gives the Chinese government access to American data, making it a national security risk.
TikTok has been at the center of a geopolitical and economic battle between the United States and China over tech leadership and national security. There have been concerns about its relationship with the Chinese government. The White House has been facing mounting pressure from Congress to ban the widely popular TikTok app nationwide after Senator Josh Hawley (R-MO) and Congressman Ken Buck (R-CO) introduced legislation earlier this week to ban its use. A similar bill to ban TikTok in the US was filed during the last Congressional session, but was not considered in either of the chambers.
TikTok ban in India
The Indian government banned TikTok in June 2020 along with 100-plus other Chinese apps. The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeITY), citing the Section 69a of the IT ACT, 2000, banned the app. TikTok had over 200 million monthly active users in India and counted the country among its largest international market by users prior to the ban.
Not the first time
This is not the first time that the US is planning to ban the popular app. In the year 2020, then-President Donald Trump sought to bar new US users from downloading TikTok but the bid was blocked by the US Supreme Court. The Biden administration in June 2021 formally abandoned that effort.
Last month, the TikTok app was banned on mobile devices issued by the US House of Representatives. The House ordered staff to delete TikTok from all mobile phones. Since then more than 20 US states have banned the app on government devices.
TikTok trying hard to avoid ban
TikTok is said to be currently negotiating a deal with the US Justice Department to resolve national security concerns. Last year, TikTok said that it started routing US user data through Oracle to appease concerns that China-based employees could access US information.
The US is one of the most important markets for the company. According to a report in NewYork Times, ByteDance spent $4.2 million in federal lobbying in the first three quarters of 2022 and is expected to far outpace that figure this year.
TikTok has been at the center of a geopolitical and economic battle between the United States and China over tech leadership and national security. There have been concerns about its relationship with the Chinese government. The White House has been facing mounting pressure from Congress to ban the widely popular TikTok app nationwide after Senator Josh Hawley (R-MO) and Congressman Ken Buck (R-CO) introduced legislation earlier this week to ban its use. A similar bill to ban TikTok in the US was filed during the last Congressional session, but was not considered in either of the chambers.
TikTok ban in India
The Indian government banned TikTok in June 2020 along with 100-plus other Chinese apps. The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeITY), citing the Section 69a of the IT ACT, 2000, banned the app. TikTok had over 200 million monthly active users in India and counted the country among its largest international market by users prior to the ban.
Not the first time
This is not the first time that the US is planning to ban the popular app. In the year 2020, then-President Donald Trump sought to bar new US users from downloading TikTok but the bid was blocked by the US Supreme Court. The Biden administration in June 2021 formally abandoned that effort.
Last month, the TikTok app was banned on mobile devices issued by the US House of Representatives. The House ordered staff to delete TikTok from all mobile phones. Since then more than 20 US states have banned the app on government devices.
TikTok trying hard to avoid ban
TikTok is said to be currently negotiating a deal with the US Justice Department to resolve national security concerns. Last year, TikTok said that it started routing US user data through Oracle to appease concerns that China-based employees could access US information.
The US is one of the most important markets for the company. According to a report in NewYork Times, ByteDance spent $4.2 million in federal lobbying in the first three quarters of 2022 and is expected to far outpace that figure this year.
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